Wellington Shire Council’s popular Parks Week will return between Saturday 4 and Sunday 12 March 2023 with a packed program of family-friendly events happening throughout the municipality - including at Sale Botanic Gardens!
Parks Week is a Council-led initiative, celebrating the many wonderful local parks and open spaces in Wellington. Parks Week encourages the community to spend time outdoors in The Middle of Everywhere, with free activities for all ages and abilities to enjoy.
Council’s popular and much-loved Baby’s Day Out and Kids Day Out events are happening in Sale and Yarram respectively and are always a major drawcard for local families.
Parks Week will commence on Saturday 4 March with events including a family forest therapy walk, Sale Parkrun, Skate Jam at Rosedale skate park, and Kids Day Out – raising money for the Good Friday Appeal. The week will culminate with Pedal 2 Parks in Cowwarr and Heyfield, and the Sale Music Festival on Sunday 12 March at the Port of Sale precinct.
Other activities on offer include skate park activations to keep young people engaged in their communities, Pilates and yoga classes, a tree walk and tour, community markets in Maffra and Rosedale, an outdoor movie night thanks to the Woodside Beach Surf Life Saving Club, and various free outdoor activities for kids.
Wellington Libraries’ is again hosting the popular Teddy Bears Picnic at the Port of Sale on Saturday 11 March, and it promises to be full of stories, songs, rhymes and teddy bear themed crafts. If you don’t have time to make it to a Storytime session during the school term, you are encouraged to take advantage of this free session with the Sale Library team.
Wellington Shire Council Mayor Ian Bye encourages the public to get out and about during Parks Week and enjoy the beautiful outdoor spaces in Wellington.
“Parks Week delivers an excellent program of activities and events for all the community to get involved with. It’s both fun and educational and is a great reminder of the benefits that open space and outdoor recreation plays in our daily lives.”
“We are very fortunate to have such a wide range of parks, gardens, and community spaces to choose from. If you can’t make it to a Parks Week event, consider simply exploring your neighbourhood. There are many wonderful pockets of open space scattered throughout The Middle of Everywhere”, Cr Bye said.
While some Parks Week events require physical activity such as walking, running, riding or exercise, most of Council’s open spaces are accessible for all people, including people with limited mobility or anyone living with a disability.
Events hosted at Sale Botanic Gardens:
Saturday, March 4 from 10.30am - 12pm and Sunday, March 5 from 10.30am until 12pm
A forest therapy walk is a guided walk by an accredited forest therapy guide who invites you to be involved in a range of activities in nature that encourages you to slow down and awaken your five senses. The slow walk is over a relatively short distance. There are core activities conducted on every forest therapy walk but also a variety of activities that are chosen to take advantage of what the park has to offer at particular times of the year. Forest therapy is a very gentle practice that prolonged scientific research reveals great health benefits including reduced stress hormones, lowered blood pressure, strengthened immune system and improved mood. The health benefits are gained from breathing in chemicals released from the trees called phytoncides. These phytoncides are anti-bacteria, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. This particular walk specifically caters for families with children. The activities are designed to be of interest to children as well as adults. Bookings are essential. Phone Virginia Hill on 0428 451 596. Cost: Adults $20, Children $10.
Wednesday, March 8 from 7pm at Nakunbalook Environmental and Cultural Education Centre
The bats have returned to the treetops surrounding Lake Guyatt and Lake Guthridge, and Wellington Shire Council is committed to community education around Grey-headed Flying Foxes to improve understanding and appreciation of the species. Attendees are encouraged to meet at Nakunbalook Environmental and Cultural Education Centre for a short, educational presentation about Australia's largest native bat and the crucial role it plays in the health of the bush as a major pollinator. This will be followed by a short stroll around the surrounding bush with an eye turned to the canopy. No bookings required!
Thursday, March 9 from 10am until 11am. Meet at the Gardens' front gates on Guthridge Parade.
The Friends of Sale Botanic Gardens is offering a free guided tour of the Sale Botanic Gardens. Come along and enjoy a stroll through Sale's picturesque Botanic Gardens. The tour will include a general overview of the gardens, brief history, the significant trees, Living Collections as well as our artworks within the gardens. It’s a one hour tour in which starts at 10am. The tour guide will be waiting at the main front gate.
Sunday March 12 from 9am until 3pm across Sale Botanic Gardens and Nakunbalook Environmental and Cultural Education Centre
A full day of learning about the uses of trees for spoon making, split into four parts. From 9am until 10am, there will be a 'woody wonders walk', where participants can take a walk through the Sale Botanic Gardens and learn about how trees have been sustainably turned into everyday objects for centuries. From 10am until 10.30am, there will be an 'axe to spoon' carving demonstration led by local artist Gavin Roberts, who will demonstrate how a simple branch can be transformed into an elegant eating spoon with just an axe and knife. From 10.30am until 11am there will be a quick pause for morning tea, followed by a spoon carving workshop for 20 participants (which includes a pizza lunch in Seed Community Garden). Bookings are essential and can be made here. This is a free event.
For more information on any of these events, visit the events section of the website.
Find the full Parks Week program of events across the Shire, including locations, dates and times at www.wellington.vic.gov.au/parks-week.